Famadihana
Every five to seven years, some ethnic groups of Madagascar dig up their dead to party down with them in a ritual called Famadihana. They give them a nice new shroud, update them on what’s been going on since they’ve been gone, and carry them above their heads while they dance ‘til dusk, when the bodies are reburied with gifts of money and booze. After all, where’s the fun in a sober afterlife?
India Death Parades
In Varanasi, India, where hundreds of Hinduists are cremated every day with the belief that the sacred city will free them from the cycle of reincarnation, bodies are first carried through the streets dressed in colors that symbolize the deceased’s best qualities. It’s not much different from our funeral processions, except a bit more open air and colorful.